It's almost impossible to recall it now, but when I was 14, 15, 16 I presumed that America's best days were behind it. The Vietnam war wasn't long over, the economy seemed to be in be in a state of perpetual doldrums and, as far as I was concerned, America was a nation in decline. It also seemed to me that the USSR was going from strength to strength.
And then Ronald Reagan came along. To many he was either an idiot or a war monger. But to me, and others of my generation, he was like a breath of fresh air. Although he was called the Gipper, he was more like George Gipp's head coach at Notre Dame, Knute Rockne. He was the team manager urging us on after a few bad moments in a game. Reagan convinced us that victory was still possible, that we weren't licked yet.
At that time most politicians, Democrat or Republican, seemed to be defeated and defeatist. Most of what they offered was the best way to manage crises. President Carter's response to the hostages in Iran is a perfect example of this mentality – hole up in the White House and wait for things to not get worse.
Many people have referred to President Reagan as an optimist. I have no idea whether that's true or not, but I know that he understood human nature better than most politicians. He knew that people performed better when the outlook was bright and he always made sure the team believed we could win.
